Dyche backs Pep to succeed at City

Chris Boden

Clarets boss Sean Dyche has no doubt Pep Guardiola will adapt to the Premier League and have success with Manchester City.

City lost three league games in December, to Chelsea, Leicester and Liverpool, and sit 10 points behind leaders Chelsea in fifth place.

Guardiola has been criticised in some parts for persevering with his footballing principles, and after the loss at Leicester came under fire for his comments, after saying: “I’m not a coach for the tackles, so I don’t train the tackles."

And second balls have been an area he has become concerned about, with City losing possession and goals to that aspect of the game, including one to Burnley's Dean Marney.

Dyche had a quick chat with him after City's 2-1 win at Turf Moor, and he said: "I only saw him briefly after our game and shared a couple of minutes with him, and I think a man of his footballing intelligence will be working out the reality of the Premier League.

"It's not easy to work that out over one game, he'll be learning all the time.

"He did say to me it's different, compared to Spain and Germany, and this idea of working on second balls, rather than just building play.

"I'm sure him and his staff will be looking at that and how to add that to their game.

"They're still a fine group of players with a top class manager, whichever way you look at it.

"It still makes for a good mix."

Guardiola has known nothing other than success with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, winning 21 trophies in his coaching career to date.

But Dyche feels the Premier League is a different animal to the Primera Liga or Bundesliga: "I think the unpredictability of the season would suggest so (it's a tougher challenge).

"He's come out and said that. The league here is different, in Spain, for one, Barcelona are a fantastic side, obviously, play amazing quality football, but a lot of people were subservient to that, they kind of back off and hope for the best.

"In the Premier League, lots of clubs will take it on and say 'we're going to step on and come what may, that's what we're going to do'.

"So I think that's different, from the outside looking in.

"He's still got some fantastic players and certainly knows what he's doing.

"Look at their game at Hull, tight and cagey and, boom, boom, boom.

"It's certainly a tough league when you're Burnley manager, I don't know about Manchester City!"

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